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This year has been a banner one in terms of books I have read. I have always been a voracious reader- my aunt was a 7th grade teacher who started giving me her favorite books when I was in 2nd/3rd grade. I still remember the day she handed me “Speak” (Laurie Halse Anderson) in 6th grade and the effect it had on me. I never really left MG and YA literature behind. As Little Willow stated so perfectly, I still hear the bell. :) I did read less in college, thanks to my abundance of reading of English canon in my English major. Since beginning this blog and joining the kidlitosphere, I feel like I have been reading amazing books. I have read books that I never would have heard of it not for the recommendations from my fellow bloggers. Thanks to them, the quality of books I am reading (and consequently bringing into my classroom) has risen exponentially. When I sat down to write up my “Best of 2007″ list, I was struck by just how many great books I have read. Choosing only a few to highlight was nearly impossible! However, I somehow managed to do it….

My Favorite Middle Grade Books of 2007

Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree: Wow. What a stunning debut novel from Lauren Tarshis. I fell in love with Emma and Colleen, and Tarshis’ accurate portrayal of middle school archetypes. This was one of my read-alouds this year, and both classes really enjoyed it. This is my favorite book of the year.

Cracker: Cynthia Kadohata’s novel about war dogs and young men in the Vietnam War left me in tears. A beautiful book.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: As a huge Harry Potter fan, it was inevitable that this book would be on any list I made for 2007. I fantastic ending to one of the best fantasy series of all time.

The Wednesday Wars: A wonderful historical fiction novel, with a great male protagonist. A definite Newbery contender!

Into the Wild: Sarah Beth Durst’s novel was one of the first blog-recommended books I read this year. A funny, fractured fairy tale of a book that had me laughing out loud in many parts. I am definitely looking forward to the sequel!

Best YA Books of 2007

*note- I read a lot of YA in 2007, but most of it was published pre-2007*

The Book Thief: Life-changing. This novel should be on every high school’s required reading list.

Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin’s novel was thought-provoking and fun- what a great combination!

A Great and Terrible Beauty: Libba Bray’s first novel about Gemma Doyle sat on my pile of books for months until I recently read it from cover to cover. Did I mention that I read it in about a day? An amazing book, and I am flying through the second book, “Rebel Angels” as we speak. I love Bray’s writing style, her characterization, and the paranormal historical fiction that she so beautifully combines.

Looking for Alaska: John Green’s Printz Award-winning novel was one of the best books I have ever read. One of the few books I have put down halfway through because I couldn’t bear to find out what happened to the characters. Sadly, I didn’t review this, as I read it before I started TheReadingZone. But WOW.

Well, well well! What an eclectic list! Let me tell you, this was no easy task. And as I type, I am looking over at my very, very large pile of books to be read. Thanks to kidlitosphere recommendations, I know there are a number of potential award-winners in that bunch. I need to get reading!